RESEARCH - Clinical randomized study of bee-sting therapy for RA

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Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2008 Jun;33(3):197-200.

[Clinical randomized study of bee-sting therapy for rheumatoid

arthritis][Article in Chinese]

Liu XD, Zhang JL, Zheng HG, Liu FY, Chen Y.

Department of Arthropathy, Zhejiang Provincial Hospital of Integrated

Chinese and Western Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical effect of bee-sting (venom) therapy

in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS: One hundred RA patients were randomly divided into medication

(control) group and bee-venom group, with 50 cases in each. Patients

of control group were treated with oral administration of Methotrexate

(MTX, 7.5 mg/w), Sulfasalazine (0.5 g,t. i.d.), Meloxicam (Mobic,7. 5

mg, b. i. d.); and those of bee-venom group treated with Bee-sting of

Ashi-points and the above-mentioned Western medicines. Ashi-points

were selected according to the position of RA and used as the main

acupoints, supplemented with other acupoints according to syndrome

differentiation. The treatment was given once every other day and all

the treatments lasted for 3 months.

RESULTS: Compared with pre-treatment, scores of joint swelling degree,

joint activity, pain, and pressing pain, joint-swelling number, grasp

force, 15 m-walking duration, morning stiff duration in bee-venom

group and medication group were improved significantly (P<0.05, 0.01).

Comparison between two groups showed that after the therapy, scores of

joint swelling, pain and pressing pain, joint-swelling number and

morning stiff duration, and the doses of the administered MTX and

Mobic in bee-venom group were all significantly lower than those in

medication group (P<0.05, 0.01); whereas the grasp force in been-venom

group was markedly higher than that in medication group (P<0.05). In

addition, the relapse rate of bee-venom group was obviously lower than

that of medication group (P<0.05; 12% vs 32%).

CONCLUSION: Combined application of bee-venom therapy and medication

is superior to simple use of medication in relieving RA, and when

bee-sting therapy used, the commonly-taken doses of western medicines

may be reduced, and the relapse rate gets lower.

PMID: 18807725

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18807725

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